Deja Boyd, MBA

I attribute my success to trusting the Holy Spirit and my discernment. If I could tell my younger self anything, it would be to trust Yoshana - that's Southern Baptist talk for trusting that feeling, that intuition, which is the Holy Spirit. A lot of us tend to ignore that inkling when He gives you that feeling like 'don't do that, don't talk to that guy, don't go there, don't spend that money right now, wait it out a little bit.' The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth and He's not gonna lead you astray - if anything, He's gonna straighten the path. I've also learned to stop mourning my old self, my old body, my old mindset. It's important to celebrate who you were for the things she accomplished, but also thank God that He showed enough grace for you to go through the seasons you had to go through to get here. My mindset now is much more focused, much more driven, much more aligned. I can tell you what my goals and my purpose in life are at this point. Before, I thought I wanted to be a pediatric cardiologist - a major difference from what I'm doing now. Now I'm using the gift that God has given me, because the Bible tells you that your gift will make room for you and bring you before kings. God has always been placing me in positions to use my voice, even when I try to play the background. I remember my first grade teacher, Ms. Prescott, pulled me aside when I was scared to speak and told me 'God has given you a gift. God has given you a voice that's gonna be heard around the world. People listen to you. Your friends and your peers listen to you. Not only that, they trust you with whatever you say.' She made me walk with courage, and I'll never forget that. At 31, I'm relearning and learning more about myself. It's very important for me to be emotionally aware, physically aware, in every other aspect of my life - to be aware of myself, to make sure that I'm checking in with myself and being at my healthiest.

The best career advice I ever received was from my first grade teacher, Ms. Prescott, who told me that God has given me a gift and a voice that's gonna be heard around the world. She said that people listen to me, my friends and my peers listen to me, and not only that, they trust me with whatever I say. She told me I needed to go out there and use my voice, even when I was scared and crying. She gave me tough love and said I was gonna do it even better than planned. She made me write the word 'courage' in my little pamphlet three times in a row when I messed up, teaching me about trustworthiness and courage. She made me walk with courage, and I'll never forget that lesson. It shaped everything about how I approach my career now, especially in communications and using my voice through my podcast and my work training others.

My advice to young women entering advertising and marketing is to network, network, network - it's key. But what I learned in my MBA program is that it's not always about networking upward, it's about networking horizontally as well. Your peers all come from different strengths and weaknesses that can help elevate you, and they all know different people and come from different backgrounds. Especially in grad school, you get all walks of life - people majoring in architecture and all these different backgrounds that can help you along the way. But here's the most important part: build genuine connections as well. Those connections go far. I can literally call my cohorts now and we're planning brunch on Saturday. The whole class that graduated with me, we plan trips together. These people are in all different corners of the world at this point, but I can depend on them. When I'm coming to Homecoming, I can say 'hey, I'm coming to Homecoming' and they're like 'I'll have your room ready for you, I don't know why you're getting a hotel.' Those are my family. It takes a village, that community. Networking can be surface level, so focus on having those deep relationships that last for a lifetime.

The values most important to me in my work and personal life are faith, self-awareness, and authenticity. First and foremost, I trust the Holy Spirit and my discernment in everything I do. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth and won't lead you astray - He's gonna straighten the path. I also believe it's very important to be emotionally aware, physically aware, in every other aspect of my life - to be aware of myself, to make sure that I'm checking in with myself and being at my healthiest. I think a lot of people tend to look in the mirror and see a whole different person than what is being displayed to the world, so being self-aware is crucial. I'm also learning to stop mourning my old self and embrace who I am now. I'm at an age, 31, where I'm relearning and learning more about myself. I love clean TikToks about organizing and cleaning because your home is your sanctuary. I'm into going to the gym and getting my body right, but also getting out of that mindset of mourning my old body and embracing the God-given body He's given me. I believe in using the gifts God has given me, because the Bible tells you that your gift will make room for you. Laughter is the best medicine, but a little faith goes a long way - that's what my podcast is all about.